august 2018 announcements - transcentralpa
TRANSCRIPT
August 2018 Announcements
Augusts’s Dinner will be at Carleys Ristorante, Saturday, August 11th. We will meet at 5:30 pm and dinner will seat promptly at 6:00 pm
Please RSVP at our website.
August Meeting is Saturday, Au-gust 11th at approximately 8:00 pm After hour activities usually ensue after the meeting at the Sheraton’s Dog & Pony Lounge. Check with Katie W. for information.
Summer Fling 2018 Join the LGBT Center of Central PA's first-ever Summer Fling! As the long days of summer start to wind down, they in-vite you to a fun, upbeat evening with heavy hors d'oeuvres, cash bar, entertainment, dancing, raffles & more! Summer Fling will be held August 18th at the State Museum of Pennsylvania.
Department of Corrections. For a couple of years now, TransCen-tralPA has been actively involved with providing support services to transgender inmates. Recently, two of our long-time advocates at the department published an article de-scribing the program and shared it with us. They specifically wanted to thank Joanne C., Liz L. and Gretch-en L. for their support from the begin-ning and continued involvement. Here is a link to the article in pdf.
TransCentralPA Annual Picnic will once again be held at GIFFORD PINCHOT STATE PARK. September 29th Watch for Sign up sheet in next months Newsletter.
TransCentralPA Family is a spe-cial meeting for families and friends with trans and gender expansive youth. They meets the first Sunday of each month from 3 to 5 pm. The next meeting is Sunday August 4th. Email us at [email protected] with ques-
Serving the Transgender Community of Central Pennsylvania since 1989
August 2018
Volume 29 Issue 7
www.TransCentralPA.org
c/o MCC of the Spirit
2973 Jefferson Street
Harrisburg, PA 17110
See ‘Announcements’ on page 9... Harrisburg Pride at the State Capitol
Page 2
Calendar of Events Bold text are TransCentralPA sponsored
Aug
2
Philadelphia Trans Wellness Conference
Philadelphia, PA
Aug
5
TransCentralPA Family ‘Back to School Boulder Bash’
Mechanicsburg, PA
Aug
11
TransCentralPA Dinner Meeting @ the MCC Of The Spirit
Social Time-Location @ Sheraton
Aug
11
Transgender Pride in the Park Ferndale, MI
Aug
9-12
Gender Odyssey Seattle, WA
Sep
2
TransCentralPA Families Meeting Mechanicsburg, PA
Sep
6-8
Southern Comfort Conference Ft. Lauderdale, FL
Sep
8
TransCentralPA Dinner Meeting @ the MCC Of The Spirit
Social Time-Location @ Sheraton
Sep
29
TCPA Annual Picnic GIFFORD PINCHOT STATE PARK
Oct
7
TransCentralPA Families Meeting Mechanicsburg, PA
Oct
13
TransCentralPA Dinner Meeting @ the MCC Of The Spirit
Social Time-Location @ Sheraton
Oct
14-21
Fantasia Fair Provincetown, Massachusetts
Visit www.TransCentralPA.org for de-
tails & more event info!
From the President
Joanne’s Jottings
Today is a day to regroup from the contact high that was Central PA Pride in Harrisburg. My Pride weekend did not end until Sunday Night, I was one of the featured speak-ers at the Interfaith Service at Christ’s Lutheran in the Alli-son Hill neighborhood of Harrisburg.
The monsoon-like rains over the past few weeks rendered Riverfront Park and unsafe venue, because of the flooding of the Susquehanna River. Our Governor, Tom Wolf along with State Representatives Patty Kim of Harrisburg and Brian Sims of Philadelphia put wheels in motion and we had a new venue, Soldier’s Grove on the Capitol grounds
If that is new to you, it is the park directly across Commonwealth Avenue from the East Entrance to the Capitol. What a venue, a beautiful park, with the Capitol Dome and Fountain in the background, and no mud. It may be bias speaking but to my mind, it has to be one of the most amazing Pride locations anywhere…and get ready for this…drum roll please…the organiz-ers have secured Soldier’s Grove for the next two years.
All the usual suspects, from Lancaster Pride again stepped up, DeeAnne C, (aka the Special Assistant to the President); Karla G and wife Lisa; Joni W; Lillian M; and Carolyn R with the addition of Katie W, Nic Miller, and Joni W’s sister Teresa, and I am so grateful for their assistance.
By the time you read this we will likely have completed the Equality Fest (a Pride event) in York, at Penn Park. Early sign-ups are indicating that we are staffing challenged, so hopefully, we will get some late joiners.
Once York is in our taillights we will have some peace and quiet until Mil-lersville University Pride Fest in October.
In other news, we just celebrated our second anniversary of participating with the Department of Corrections (DOC) in the video conference based transgender support group. This monthly activity was recently recognized in a monthly corrections magazine and our involvement was a key feature in the article.
I would encourage you to put Saturday, September 29, 2018 on your calen-dar. This is the date we have set aside for our annual picnic, being held once again at Gifford Pinchot State Park. We are no longer providing ham-burgers and hot dogs because of the cost and the problem with leftovers. So this year it will be strictly a pot-luck, that means you need to dust off your favorite recipe book and create something amazing. Over the past several years, the picnic has become a highlight for me, because it is such a great, nearly private location, and in the relaxed atmosphere friendships are cemented and grown.
I am looking forward to August, because I believe I will have some amazing news to share with you, and I am looking forward to seeing you at our meet-ing on August 11.
Hugs ‘n stuff
Joanne
Joanne Carroll
President
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Transwomen Program
Asked when she first realized that she was a girl, Ángela Ponce an-swered with her own question: “And when did you first know you were a boy?”
After winning Spain’s national beauty contest last month, Ms. Ponce will become the first transgender woman to compete in the Miss Universe pag-eant. But she is also on a mission to challenge traditional concepts of gen-der and beauty, as well as to break down what she sees as unacceptable barriers in the fashion industry.
“Having a vagina doesn’t make a woman,” she said in an interview. “Even if many people don’t want to see me as a woman, I clearly belong among them.”
Ms. Ponce, 27, grew up in Pilas, a town in southern Spain where her father owned a bar that is now man-aged by her elder brother. Pilas was a conservative place, she says, where “there was nobody like me.” That extended to her school, which also set her apart, placing her in a group of children needing special care, alongside some who were deal-ing with family breakups or who be-longed to the minority Roma commu-nity.
But her parents fought hard against any efforts to single her out, as well as against the derogatory attention and insults that she often received. When she was very young, she was encouraged by them to play with her favorite dolls and keep away from her brother’s football.
“The problems for me only started outside my home, at school and on the street,” she said. “My parents al-ways supported me, but from the mo-ment I was born, I felt that I was a public figure and that people some-how had the right to speak about how I was.”
Three years ago, after winning a re-gional beauty contest, she moved to Madrid to pursue her career as a model. At the same time, she also started collaborating with the Daniela Foundation, which was established
Aiming for Miss Universe — and Universal Transgender Rights Raphael Minder, New York Times
Angela Ponce and sister Amanda
‘Miss Universe’ Continued on Page 4...
people from my own collective, just when women are taking to the streets to ask for recognition,” she said. “I find it weird that some women don’t tolerate that I go to a competition to represent my country as the woman that I am.”
She added: “If we want progress, we just have to stop looking whether what other women are doing is good or not.”
Surprisingly to some, predominantly-Catholic Spain has led the way on several gender-related issues. In June, the country’s new prime minis-ter, Pedro Sánchez, appointed 11 women as the heads of the govern-ment’s 17 ministries, the highest pro-portion among Western countries.
Under a previous Socialist admin-istration, Spain also became in 2004 one of the first nations to legalize same-sex marriage. “Compared to other countries, I’m lucky to have been born here,” Ms. Ponce said
In fact, she said that much of the re-cent social media criticism against her came from women overseas, who believe that she will have an unfair advantage over other national beauty queens when she participates in the Miss Universe pageant later this year. Apart from her genital surgery, Ms. Ponce said the only other proce-dure she has undergone was plastic surgery to enlarge her breasts, fol-lowing her hormonal treatment.
“When I hear that all the girls won’t be competing in equal conditions, I say that’s right, but only because I’ve actually had to make double the amount of efforts to get there, be-cause I wasn’t gifted everything by nature,” she said. “My face has al-ways been my face, whether you like it or not, and the same for my waist.”
“Women own their bodies, and many of them have had plastic surgery, so how is reshaping your nose or your cheek bones to make you feel better any different to getting a vagina or breast enlargement?”
by a Spanish woman who fought against the management of a school that did not want to recognize her daughter as a transgender girl.
As one of the foundation’s volunteers, Ms. Ponce gives talks in schools and meets with children and parents who are struggling with transgender is-sues. On one occasion, she said, she received a phone call in the middle of the night from a transgender girl threatening to commit suicide be-cause of the social pressures. When she was about 16, Ms. Ponce decided to undergo hormonal treat-ment and eventually vaginal plastic surgery, “to remove what for me was a burden and a trauma.” But she said that her message to the teenagers whom she now meets is always that vaginal surgery is a personal choice, and that it is not essential to being a woman.
“There are women with a penis and men with a vagina, because the only key part of being a woman is to be and feel like a woman,” she said.
Her recent success as a beauty queen has brought her admirers, but also plenty of attacks — mostly from other women, she said.
“What strikes me is that a lot of the criticism has come from women and
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Supergirl Casts TV's First
Transgender Superhero Charlie Mason, TV Line Reporter
Supergirl will be making history in Season 4. At the CW se-ries’ San Die-go Comic-Con panel on Saturday, it was an-nounced that transgender activist Nicole Maines has been cast in the series regular role of Nia Nal aka Dreamer, television’s first transgender superhero.
In addition, the show has tapped April Parker Jones (If Loving You Is Wrong) to play the series-regular role of Colonel Haley and David Ajala (Falling Water) to recur as Manches-ter Black. So, who are these new characters? According to the show’s official descriptions…
Nia is the newest addition to the CatCo reporting team. A soulful young transgender woman with a fierce drive to protect others, Nia’s journey this season means fulfilling her destiny as the superhero Dream-er, much like Kara came into her own as Supergirl.
Hardline career military woman Colo-nel Haley lives and dies by the orders of her commanding officers. Dedicat-ed to her country, she always acts in its best interest — even if it’s not her own.
And finally, based on the iconic DC character, Manchester Black is the type of guy who brings a knife to a gunfight and still walks away the win-ner. With a dark past, he easily de-flects the brutality of his mission with his charm and sense of humor.
Previously, it had been revealed that Supergirl was adding to its series-regular cast Jesse Rath as the Le-gion of Super Heroes’ Brianiac-5 and Sam Witwer as Agent Liberty. Sea-son 4 kicks off on Sunday, Oct. 14, at 8/7c.
TransCentralPA
Family Meetings
Next Event:
Sunday, August 5
‘Back to School Boulder Bash’
email us for details at
Next Meetings:
Sunday, September 2
Sunday, October 7
TransCentralPA Family is a support group for families of gender question-ing and transgender youth. We meet the first Sunday of each month. We provide a safe, affirming environment for families, children and adolescents to meet others and build friendships.
Parents, relatives and close friends can share knowledge and experiences as well as receive encouragement. We help each others with questions about laws, insurance, medical treatment, policies and more. Your privacy and confidentiality are very important as each of us are at different stages of our journey.
Please contact us at
Family/Youth Program Ms. Ponce also lamented what she described as the hypocrisy of some big clothing brands that refused her as a model once they found out that she was transgender. “There are brands that are happy for you to buy and wear their clothing but not to have you on their catwalk,” she said. “It’s strange coming from a world of fashion that claims to be setting trends.”
The Miss Universe pageant was owned for almost two decades by President Trump. He sold the rights to the event in 2015 to WME-IMG, a talent agency, after NBC canceled its television contract with Mr. Trump amid an outcry over Mr. Trump de-scribing migrants crossing from Mex-ico as rapists and murderers during his bid for the presidency.
During Mr. Trump’s tenure, the rules of the pageant were changed to al-low transgender competitors, follow-ing a successful protest campaign in 2012 by Jenna Talackova, a Canadi-an beauty queen who had initially been barred from taking part in her national competition.
Guillermo Escobar, who is the presi-dent of Spain’s national beauty con-test, acknowledged that Ms. Ponce’s win as a transgender candidate last month had helped raise the profile of the competition, but insisted that “the jury simply valued her as a great woman.”
“She is a pioneer, sending a mes-sage of equality and respect, but my hope is that we will eventually have many more candidates like her and this will no longer make the head-lines,” he added.
During the interview with Ms. Ponce, her 19-year-old sister, Amanda, watched her intently and then took several close-up photos of her with her cellphone. “I can only be very proud of my sister,” said Amanda, who is a law student whose classes had just ended. “She’s worked very hard to get here, but I know she and all other women can get a lot fur-ther.”
...‘Miss Universe’ from Page 3
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Transmen Program
It took Chaz Bono nearly 30 years to find a spotlight not shaped by his famous parents, Cher and Sonny Bono. Now he’s becoming one of Holly-wood’s most sought-after character actors, blazing a new trail and challenging the system in the process.
Since his breakout role on The Bold and the Beautiful in 2016, the trans actor has had recur-ring roles in the comedy series Where the Bears Are, and the drama American Horror Story (starring in both Roanoke and Cult, the latter which earned acclaim for his portrayal of a fervent Trump supporter).
Before his role on the daytime drama, Bono’s projects mainly consisted of documentaries and non-scripted shows, notably his 2011 Becoming Chaz, and groundbreaking stint as the first trans contestant on ABC’s Dancing with the Stars. These pro-jects brought him a new fan base, but weren’t what he wanted to do long term.
“I remember saying to [my team], ‘I’m not going to do [reality TV] anymore, I’m going to be an actor,’ and they were like, ‘What? You’re going to do what?’” he shares with The Advocate. “I said ‘I can’t do that anymore, be-cause people won’t take me serious-ly, and it’s going to be hard enough as it is. This is what I’ve always want-ed to be, and I’m going to be an ac-tor.’”
He also decided not to play trans characters, not wanting to be type-cast before having a chance to estab-lish himself as an actor. After all, says Bono, with “every trans actor I know, [trans roles] are all they get offered.”
Bono is proving himself as an actor, currently starring alongside Denise Richards, Jane Seymour, and Brigitte Nielson in Adi Shankar’s Gods and Secrets. Next, he can be seen in the indie supernatural horror flick Re-born, playing another of the “weird creepy bad guy” roles he admits he’s
Chaz Bono's Second Act David Artavia, Advocate Reporter
drawn to.
“I am a nice guy and I think having been in the public eye… [people] think of me that way,” he says. “I thought that if I did those type of parts, then people would be able to forget they were watching me, and maybe some-body would give me a shot.”
Someone who did give Bono a shot was American Horror Story creator Ryan Murphy, who Bono describes as a “guy who is not afraid to take chanc-es if he sees somebody who he likes” — something that was missing from the industry back when Bono attended a performing arts high school in New York City.
“In my senior year I got cast in our one big production we did there, in a male part,” Bono remembers. “And it was so life changing. It was the first time I ever felt I knew what I was doing onstage.” He would later quit acting, thinking he had to “put that dream aside,” assum-ing it would never happen for him the way he needed it to. “I spent a lot of years in the lesbian community, [but] that was never a good fit. I knew some-thing was off. Those weren’t fun years by any stretch. And then coming to terms with being trans, it was a long, hard journey.”
After Bono came out trans in 2009 and underwent gender confirmation sur-gery, his craft improved too. Bono says acting is a job “where you have to be
comfortable in your skin to be able to do it. I’m a fairly hetero-normative guy. I was like that when I was in a female body, and therefore to play a woman — I couldn’t do it.”
He says now, “I lived my life before really in my head and completely disconnected from my body. I didn’t like what was reflected in the mirror, it wasn’t me. It wasn’t how I saw myself. So, there was a huge discon-nect with myself physically.” He adds, “Now, it’s about being able to pursue the life I always wanted to have, but I wasn’t able to because I was in the wrong skin.”
This is Bono’s time to shine. His tal-ent is abundantly clear on screen. Though shy and introverted in real life, on screen he says he is “really far away from myself. When I’m act-ing, I can be insane. I can just do stuff that I would never do. I can come out of a voting booth and scream at the top of my lungs, ‘Welcome to Trump’s America moth-erfuckers!’”
On re-establishing himself as an ac-tor, Bono adds, “If I was born male, I would have done what so many of my classmates [did] who... went on to college and then started their careers and are still working. But I couldn’t do that, and I had a 30-year absence almost to getting back and being able to now finally start to do the career that I’ve always wanted.”
The competition in Hollywood is fierce, but Bono isn’t letting any of that stop him — no matter how late in the game he might be. “The good thing is that I’m a lot more mentally and emotionally prepared for this, which is great, so I don’t let it make me feel less than,” he says. “I know that I’m good at what I do. I take it seriously. When I’m not actively working on something, I’m always in class. So, I’m always acting. That muscle is always working.”
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www.AlderHealth.org
Summer Fling 2018 August 18, 2018
State Museum of Pennsylvania, 300 North Street, Harrisburg
Join us for the LGBT Center of Central PA's first-ever Summer Fling! As the long days of summer start to wind down, we invite you to a fun, upbeat evening with heavy hors d'oeuvres, cash bar, entertain-ment, dancing, raffles & more!
Dress code is Queer Cocktail Attire featuring your best smile - wear what makes you feel authentic and ready to celebrate the season!
Come prepared to have a great time AND support the LGBT Center's continued work to provide safe spaces, quality programs and training and education to LGBTQ+ people and allies in Central PA.
Payment may be made online or by check addressed to "LGBT Center of Central PA" with "Summer Fling" in the memo line, and mailed to 1306 N 3rd St, Harrisburg PA 17102.
CentralPA LGBT Center
Fall Achievement Benefit Saturday, October 6, 2018
Lancaster Marriott
This year, the LGBT Center of Central PA is "Bringing Back the Glitz" at FAB 2018 - so dust off your formalwear as the FAB 2018 gala returns to its original sit-down dinner for-mat!
Make sure you are part of this special evening as we come together at the Lancaster Marriott to celebrate the accomplishments of the past year, honor those who have made a special impact, and connect with old and new friends.
Add some extra glitz to your evening by join-ing us for a VIP reception with the honorees prior to FAB 2018. Honorees and full schedule of events to be announced!
FAB is a vital source of funding for the LGBT Center of Central PA as we foster inclusive communities and holistic well-being for LGBTQ+ people through social, educational, and cultural engagement. We appreciate your support and hope to see you there!
Buy Your Tickets Today!
Page 7
Below are several news stories, blogs, opinions and resources for your reading pleasure. Opinions & views in these links cannot be assumed to be of TransCentralPA, nor the Officers or Members of TransCentralPA. Our goal is to simply provide you with information & thought-provoking viewpoints. If you would like to submit a story, please email us at [email protected].
News
Bill introduced banning gay-and-trans-panic-defenses Transgender woman’s quest for surgery caught in political crosswinds Scientist racing eyeing how gender transitions alter athletic performance Job Fair for transgender individuals Puerto Rico allows transgender people to correct birth certificates Oregon transgender student wins right to use preferred bathroom Video games are a trans-girls best friend Pakistan elections feature 13 transgenders Trans man’s pioneering surgery as Russian state secret for decades Trans Chaplain helping LGBTQ elders feel welcome Japanese women’s university announces new transgender student policy Massachusetts transgender protections will be on the ballot in November N.J. laws give transgender people more protection, rights Philly sheriff sets guidelines for treating transgender people GOP Sen. Ernst supports transgender troops in US Military Philadelphia School District won’t change bathroom policy A Philly coming out story New transgender health training launched Community helps Philly transgender teen Transgender delegate Danica Roem’s district adds LGBT student protections Trans teen fights to escape abusive parents & conversion therapy ADL Tells court to protect transgender students’ rights Transgender Workers Gain New Protection Under Court Ruling Chile’s Oscar for ‘A Fantastic Woman’ Bolsters Gender Identity Bill Kim Petras Wants to Be a Pop Star Small-town doctor wants to perform surgeries for transwomen 25 best LGBTQ movies of the past 25 years CBBC follows transgender teen’s journey to become a boy Trying to find love as a transgender man Transgender people open up about their lives and experiences Transgender model helps smash barriers Half of LGBT workers feel bullied at work Gay philanthropist donates millions to LGBT fund
Theater company spotlights community for body-image discussion
I'm not a boy or a girl
New Ryan Murphy Show for FX casts several Transgender regulars
Californians soon to have nonbinary Gender Option on birth certificates
Transgender Brazilians embrace soap opera: ‘Now You Can See Us’
My husband Is now my wife
Five sites of New York’s L.G.B.T.Q. history
Gender-Fluid artists come out of the Gray Zone
Boulder Co. students, teachers want schools to tackle gender and sexuality issues
A Federal Court Pushes Back on Transgender Military Ban
Battle over rights inspires more U.S. transgender candidates
Long Island Gay & Lesbian film festival to showcase 8 new films
Exploring Breast Cancer In Transgender Communities
Patriotic & Proud, Kansas City’s Transgender Vets look to the future
Tom Petty’s last tour included a subtle nod of support for Trans rights
A father and Trans daughter, two generations of firefighters
Teen on the front lines for trans equality in North Carolina
Trans Men Prefer To Do It Themselves
Spelman College changes its admissions policy to include Trans women
Writing while Trans
Beautiful story of a gay dad and his Transgender daughter
Trans influencers went purple for #SpiritDay
First ever TransTech Summit aims to empower Trans community
Non-binary leaders who are changing the world
Author Heath Fogg: Does Gender Matter?
Femme Fever News
Theatre Philadelphia’s Barrymore
Awards Go for Gender Inclusiveness A.D. Amorosi, Philadelphia Gay News
Theatre Philadelphia is readying the launch of its 2018-19 Barrymore Awards season with a new approach: greater inclusion and diversity.
Nationally recognized as a totem of artistic excellence for professional theater for designers and directors as well as performers, the Barrymores award four cash grants of more than $75,000 each year to artists and organizations, and also recognize honorees with lifetime-achievement awards.
“We recognize that the Barrymores are one of the most visible celebrations of theater in the Greater Philadelphia region, and we wanted to reflect the larger community that we are drawing both artists and audiences from, “ said Theatre Philadelphia executive director Leigh Gold-enberg.
Last year, the organization began an effort to ensure that the nominating artists who judge their fellow artists were more representative of the larger, diverse community in terms of race, gender and sexual orientation, Goldenberg said, adding, “We’re continuing this into the current sea-son as well.”
Of the 12 judges for the 2018-19 awards, six identify as people of color, as opposed to only two judges in 2017-18. And there are now eight cis-women, up from six, and one identifying as nonbinary, last season.
“Our oversight and inclusion committees went out into the communities and expressed welcome and invitation — which is different than just opening our doors,” said Gold-enberg.
Also new this year: Each performance category at the Barrymore Awards for Excellence in Theatre will be gen-der-inclusive, with binary male and female designations replaced with inclusive performer categories.
A date for the Barrymores is not yet set (usually they are in October).
Four performing categories will no longer be tagged with specific genders, Goldenberg said. “So it will be an ‘Outstanding Performer’ or ‘Outstanding Supporting Per-former,’ with eight recipients instead of the four that were designated for each gender. Now there are many different options that can shake out — two women, two gender-nonconforming artists, two men. This should be interest-ing.”
Pax Ressler, a genderqueer composer, music director, designer and performer, said it’s about time.
Read more about Theatre Philadelphia here
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Pa. Gov. Tom Wolf on Monday creat-ed the Pennsylvania Commission on LGBTQ Affairs.
"The creation of the commission on LGBTQ Affairs is one step of many we have taken to ensure obstacles are removed for anyone who is facing an unfair disadvantage based on sex-ual orientation, gender identity and expression," Wolf said in a press re-lease. "It's a step we took together with our stakeholder and advocacy groups and one that those involved asked for - a commission to help co-ordinate and drive statewide equality efforts.
The 40-member commission, be-lieved to be the only one in the coun-try, will be led by executive director Todd Snovel. Most recently, Snovel was the Assistant Dean for Engage-ment and Inclusion at Lebanon Valley College, where he led the team work-ing with students in the co-curricular experience and initiated campus-wide efforts in equity, diversity, and inclusion. He also teaches college-level courses on the studies of gen-ders, sexualities, and identities. He was the 2014 recipient of the Athena Award from the Lebanon Valley Chamber of Commerce and received the Wheeler Freedom Award in 2015 for his support of the LGBTQ commu-nity in Lebanon County.
The Pennsylvania Commission on LGBTQ Affairs commissioners are:
Chair - Anne Wakabayashi
Co-Vice-Chair - Shaashawn Dial
Co-Vice-Chair - Tyler Titus
And, in alphabetical order, the rest of the group: Ben Allatt, Rich Askey, Mark Barbee, Chris Bartlett, Rose-
mary Browne, Patricia Bucek, Kathy Cameron, Joanne Carroll, Marc Coleman, Katharine Dalke, Jim DePoe, Sen. Lawrence Farnese, Rep. Dan Frankel, Elicia Gonzales, Amber Hikes, Jodi Hirsh, Malcolm Kenyatta, Michele Kessler, Jason Landau Goodman, Maryellen Mad-den, Jere Mahaffey, Michael Mahler, Adil Mansoor, Adanjesus Marin, Sean Meloy, Gerald Montano, Se-bastian Pelaez, Brian Patchcoski, Sarah Rosso, Kristin Seale, Adrian Shanker, Henry Sias, Rep. Brian Sims, Sean Strub, Roberto "Tito" Valdes, Harry Young and Heshie Zinman.
Two of the legislative members ap-pointed to the commission lauded Wolf for its creation.
Frankel, from Allegheny County, is the House Democratic Caucus Chairman and the co-chairman of the LGBT Equality Caucus in the legislature. He said the panel is "a good step forward to determine needs for LGBT residents. But some things we already know: The legisla-ture should pass the Pennsylvania Fairness Act. This bipartisan bill would include sexual orientation and gender identity or expression in the types of discrimination banned statewide in the workplace, housing and public accommodations. It's still legal in much of Pennsylvania for people to be denied a job or a place to live just because of who they are, and that's wrong."
Sims, a Philadelphia Democrat and the first openly gay lawmaker in Pennsylvania's history, was included in USA Today's Face of Pride nation-al project in late June. He thanked Wolf for having "consistently support-ed equal rights for LGBTQ Pennsyl-vanians, and today's announcement confirms that."
The Pennsylvania Commission on LGBTQ Affairs joins the governor's existing commissions: African Ameri-can Affairs, Asian Pacific American Affairs, Latino Affairs and the Com-mission for Women.
Gov. Wolf Announces Formation of LGBTQ Commission Paul Vigna, Penn Live
Trans Country Singer Brody Ray is
Standing In The Light Erin Jensen, USA Today
Brody Ray took the "America's Got Talent" stage during a month ago ready to share a piece of himself.
The Nebraska native who sang Jor-dan Smith's "Stand in the Light," ex-plained to the judges that the lyrics mirrored his own life. Elaborating on his "struggles and battles," Ray ex-plained, "I actually was born female. I'm transgender."
Ray's performance visibly touched judge Mel B and moved audience members to get up from their seats.
"This is who I am inside, this is who I am, and I'm not going to hide," he belted out. "'Cause the greatest risk we'll ever take is by far to stand in the light and be seen as we are."
At the end of his song, Ray received a standing ovation from the judges and crowd
Ray reflected on his performance Tuesday night on Twitter. "This song made me cry the moment I heard it," he wrote. "And today it helped change my life forever."
On Instagram, he reiterated the lyrics' message for followers. "Stand in the light and be seen as you are. Don’t let your differences cause you to hide. Don’t be ashamed," Ray wrote in the caption of an image from Tuesday's show. "Don’t let it tell you what you can and can’t do with your life. Be proud. Be strong. Be out."
View the Video
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tions.APPLY TODAY! For all catego-ries, priority will be given to those who self-identify as trans, non-binary, or Two-Spirit. Further preference will be given to students who demonstrate financial need. To see complete de-tails and requirements, visit our web-site!
2019 Keystone Conference The 2018 was a resounding success and the 2019 Keystone Conference is now scheduled for March 19th-24th. Don’t miss out, mark your calendars. Make your plans now.
Questions about updating gender markers or gender designation on PA IDs or driver's licenses and would like to talk to a supportive person in-side of PennDOT before moving for-ward with the process? Inquiries about changing the gender designation on PA IDs or driver's licenses, contact [email protected] or call 717-787-0485
TCPA Membership Dues are a one-time annual fee of $20. Dues are used to pay for meeting space, pro-gram literature, our website and our affiliation with and support of commu-nity groups and activities such as Common Roads, the Community Cen-ter, Central Pennsylvania Pride, etc. Please continue to support our organi-zation and efforts by joining or renew-ing your membership—we are making a difference!
Sheraton Discount We have nego-tiaed the special rate of $119/night for TransCentralPA members and guests at the Sheraton Harrisburg-Hershey Hotel ($159/night during July and Au-gust). To take advantage, enter the SET code 529363 where it asks for a SET/Corporate Account code.
Red Roof Inn Discount. We have negotiated a rate of $42.99/night for TranscentralPA members and guests. To take advantage of this special of-fer, call the hotel directly at (717) 939-1331 and use the CP code ‘609306’.
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...‘Announcements’ from page 1 Philly Trans Health Conference Cancels Sessions on Detransitioning
Katie Herzog, The Stranger
The Philadelphia Trans Health Conference—an annual meeting of transgender people, advocates, and health care providers—announced Tuesday that they are canceling two panels, one on detransitioning and one on alternate ways of dealing with gender dysphoria besides medical transition.
In a statement, conference organizers wrote:
For this year’s conference, two workshops, ‘Alternate ways of working with gender dysphoria’ and ‘Detransition: A panel discussion’ have become the center of a debate. Detransition is, without a doubt, a difficult and sometimes controversial topic. These two workshops brought impassioned conversation to the forefront for conference planners and community stakeholders. Indi-viduals have come out on both sides with very strong opinions on whether these workshops should be permitted to be presented at the conference to what type of content and comments would be presented by the facilitators going off of what they have posted they have on social media.
When a topic becomes controversial, such as this one has turned on social media, there is a duty to make sure that the debate does not get out of con-trol at the conference itself. After several days of considerations and review-ing feedback, the planning committee voted that the workshops, while valid, cannot be presented at the conference as planned.
The difficult decision to pull these workshops ultimately came down to the level of heated conversation and controversy surrounding the two work-shops. This was detracting from our overall mission of the conference, to provide an accessible and respectful environment that centers the experi-ences of the transgender and gender non-conforming/non-binary (GNC/NB) community.
Controversial is, perhaps, an understatement. Detransitioning is a fraught subject within the transgender community and detransitioners who are open about their status are frequently targets of harassment.
According to conference organizers, after complaints from attendees and oth-ers in the trans community, there was an internal vote on whether or not to include the sessions (which had already been accepted into the conference) and, in the end, the detransitioners lost.
I reached out to Carey Callahan, a detransitioner herself and one of the panel organizers. Callahan wrote:
The panelists worked hard to create material that was useful to and respectful of people with many different experiences of gender. People bought plane tick-ets, took time off of work, participated in lots of meetings to make these panels happen.
I'm feeling disheartened at being mischaracterized as trans-exclusionary when I've repeatedly, emphatically stated that transition is a good thing in many peo-ple's lives. I hope the Philly organizers and attendees come to view these can-cellations as a lost opportunity for education and dialogue, and that next year we're all feeling silly about how scared we used to be of each other. Detransi-tioners generally feel protective of trans people's rights and well-being, and it would go a long way to see some of that concern reciprocated.
I've asked the conference if they will be reimbursing panelists for their expens-es and will update when/if I hear back.
Update: I heard back from R Perry Monastero, director of development and marketing at the Mazzoni Center, which hosts the conference. Monastero says: "The committee understands the gravity of the decision to cancel these two workshops. Given the overwhelming reactions that evolved around this topic, the committee and Mazzoni Center were concerned about our ability to preserve a safe environment. We’ve reached out to both presenters and as-sured them that Mazzoni Center will reimburse travel expenses that they may have already incurred."